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I'm now a full-time work-outside-the-home mom and while we're still going on TONS of family adventures, making time for the adventures (verses making time for writing about them!) has taken priority in my life right now.

But have no fear! Our new Facebook page is a great resource for all the wonderful family-friendly stuff happening in Prince George's County and the greater Metro DC area. Be sure to check out the Out by Ten archives on the right for lots of great activities!

Monday, April 26, 2010

If you have a kid who knew the difference between a dump truck and a digger by age 2 or if you've ever slowed down or sped up to get in the lane next to a garbage truck for your child's enjoyment, this Saturday, May 1, THE place to be is at the 13th Annual Cheverly Truck Touch!

This annual fundraiser for Cheverly's Weekday Nursery and Mother's Day Out programs will feature over 20 vehicles for your kid to explore--they can climb aboard, sit in the driver's seat and honk the horn in vehicles including firetrucks, an ambulance, a garbage truck, a dump truck and a back hoe. There will be classic cars and a race car, delivery trucks, an oil truck, a school bus and an RV. And, this year, the Maryland National Guard is sending over a state-of-the-art HUMVEE!

In addition to exploring the trucks, there will be games, face-painting and balloons. Volunteer parents will be grilling up hot dogs and hamburgers for sale for lunch.

Admission is only $5 per child (which includes 4 game tickets) and parents are free! The festivities will last from 10am until 2pm.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

This post was originally published in September 2009. I am re-posting it today in honor of Team WhyMommy's Virtual Science Fair. Susan Nieber, aka WhyMommy, is a mom and an astrophysicist who has been fighting inflammatory breast cancer and educating others about it since 2007. Today she is undergoing surgery to remove a local regional recurrence of cancer in the lymph nodes under her arm pit. I hope that Susan, this post, and the dozens more at the Virtual Science Fair, inspire you to get out and do something science-related with your kids today!

Lucas and I recently spent a fun morning at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center. He had a blast donning a space suite and stepping inside a Mercury capsule model to flip all the switches and begin the launch countdown.

The Visitor Center is easy to get to and is--what else would you expect from NASA?--simply packed with amazing photographs of outer space and all kinds of incredible information. While Lucas was busy playing with the model spaceships or putting together a puzzle of the solar system, I was reading as much as I could, just trying to take it all in.

After I finally dragged Lucas away from the Mercury capsule, kids area and beautiful images inside the visitor center, he was in awe of the Goddard Rocket Garden out back. It was so fun to get up close and even touch (the signs said no climbing but didn't mention touching so I took them literally, as any good scientist would!) rockets some of which had actually been to space and back. Lucas kept asking if they were going to blast off (with a mix of excitement and trepidation in his voice!) and so I think it would be great fun to bring him back for one of the Sunday model rocket launches (details below).

Overall, this was another great destination in Prince George's County: we're so lucky to have a part of NASA right in our backyard. As with many of these smaller museums/visitors centers outside of the Smithsonian, we practically had the place to ourselves. There was plenty of room and Lucas didn't have to share the kid-friendly exhibits/activities with anyone else.

I also loved the fact that the gift shop was in an entirely different building, a building that we successfully avoided making the visit truly cost free!

Additional events and activities offered by NASA Goddard:

The Sunday Experiment

Elementary school students and their families are invited to the Goddard Visitor Center on the third Sunday of every month, from September to May, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., for a free afternoon of eye-opening, hands-on activities that will help you experience what it’s like to be a NASA engineer. Contact: Maria Acevedo-Rivera at Maria.E.Acevedo-Rivera@nasa.gov.

Model Rocket Launches

Like to build model rockets, but don’t have a launch pad? Now you do! Anyone can fly at the Goddard model rocket launches, and there are no costs or fees to participate. Rockets, motors and supplies are available at the nearby Goddard Gift Shop and you can even get rocket construction and launch tips from our on-site experts on launch day! Model rocket launches are held at the Goddard Visitor Center the first Sunday of the month. Launches start at 1 p.m. and are brought to you by the NARHAMS Model Rocket club: http://www.narhams.org/.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Are you looking for something fun to do this weekend that is outdoors and perhaps egg related but doesn't involve copious amounts of candy or kids running wild in search of plastic? Check out Children's Day at Piscataway Park sponsored by the Accokeek Foundation on Saturday, April 3.

The day begins at 9am with a Chicken and Egg Workshop at the Barnyard (bonus: children get to dye eggs with natural dye!). There's a "Wally the Water Bottle" puppet show and mini river clean-up at 11am; you can also take part in "Where's Ben?" a guided search around the farm at noon.

About Me

Hi! I'm Aimee aka Smiling Mama. I get the Mama title from Lucas (born in 2005) and Nathaniel (born in 2010). Along with my husband, Abel, we live in a creaky old house in a wonderful town in Prince George's County, MD. I work full-time outside the home and am seemingly unable to say no to a volunteer role. I believe in kindness, love lists, and do my best to keep smiling. Thanks for stopping by!